Telling others about risk is a touchy matter. Do it well, and you are likely to get your hand bitten off . Do it poorly and the person at risk is likely to get more than their hands lost. This blog explores timing as well as content ; volume as well as substance . Cry wolf and you get unecessary deaths . How much crying wolf is going on ? We think we know what other people need to do/know, but do we? The government think they know what we need to know and do, but do they? They know generally, but is generalized warning helpful or dangerous ?
you know the expression by your own 15YO " oh mum, oh dad ..........oh govt"
To get people informed and alert about a real risk you need to capture their interest . If you don't concentrate on real risk you can harden people against listening - Crywolf messages can grow from letting the children take charge ; not watching as well as listening ; not ensuring you have times when you are silent and when you yell ;
as well ,has the recent past been too much focused too much on how WE can help U with the big bad wolf and not enough about how U can deal with the BBwolf ( previous blog) We are not children are we ? We don't look like it but well .. see below .
Government must stop producing "wolf is at the door ads" from the centralised bureau of blurred vision and RELY more on properly trained risk advisers, giving them the power and authority they need to do their job; allowing people to act with wisdom and not blind worship (eg of the Shire planning scheme) Educating people about the things they are interested in ( eg the wolfs nature and weak points: teasing out aims and ambitions which motivate / will activate)Top down approach weaknesses are most obviuos when timing is a critical factor - these times;any times of high risk . (Take 774's interuption of the cricket on Sunday - 774 should not be the fount of all knowledge on days of lower risk; and when truly local is more appropriate; timing again )
As described elsewhere, professional and objective advice from people trained to manage risk has been ignored. Anyone with reasonable experience here will tell you people living constantly in high risk situations tend to ignore risk - The complex psychology of risk management means complex approaches to message management .The deeper paradox ( sorry to have to use that word but it is part of the deeper realities that drive human motivation) the kindergarten assumption by govt leaders that " just warning messages" is enough is the reason why education alone ( the previous blog) is not enough.People do not always listen and thats partly their problem not the govts . Unfortunately govt failure to support PS professionals (cutting deeper and more effectively )culture is another reason they lost many many big picture planning people in the first place -perhaps these people made the job seem too hard for a mere politician?
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